Have you decided to take a ride on the Bigo Genova Panoramic Lift and want to learn more about the schedule, prices, and how to buy tickets?
You’ve come to the right place! I’m Andrea from Discover Genoa, and in this post I’m going to tell you about Genoa’s Bigo, the most famous panoramic lift in the Ligurian capital, which will allow you to enjoy breathtaking views of the Old Port, Old Town, and the sea.
Are you ready? Let’s get started!
Bigo panoramic lift tickets
You can purchase Bigo tickets online or at the ticket office. There is a combined ticket option that allows you to visit the Bigo lift and the Genoa Aquarium.
I recommend that you purchase tickets online to avoid the long line that may form at the ticket office and at the entrance to the attraction.
Bigo tickets
Bigo Panoramic Lift Tickets
This is the standard ticket for the Bigo. The cost of the online ticket is €5 each and allows you to skip the queue at the attraction entrance.
Bigo + Genoa Aquarium discount
Aquarium of Genoa + Bigo Panoramic Lift
To avoid queues and crowds of visitors, online ticket booking is recommended.
This admission ticket, priced at €32, includes both a visit to all sections of the Genoa Aquarium and a ride on the Genoa Panoramic Lift.
What is the Bigo panoramic lift?
The Bigo is a panoramic elevator located in the Old Port, a stone’s throw from the Genoa Aquarium, the Galeone and the Museo del Mare, and offers a unique opportunity to admire Genoa from above.
It can carry up to 66 people and consists of a fixed and a mobile part; once you reach the top, the mobile part rotates to give you a 360-degree view of the city skyline as seen from the sea.
The lift car, which rotates on itself, is equipped with panels in Italian, English, French, and German showing the bell towers, towers, characteristic slate roofs, and ancient and modern buildings that emerge from the maze of “caruggi”. Commentaries on the history of the Old Port Area and the Historic Center are accompanied by pleasant background music.
Built in 1992 by Renzo Piano to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus, this distinctive elevator allows you to view Genoa from an unusual perspective, simultaneously offering a striking view of the city stretching over the surrounding hills and the spectacle of its harbor.
The unique structure is immediately reminiscent of the traditional maritime world, with the appearance of the loading arms that were once present on merchant ships before the introduction of containers.
Quickly becoming a recognizable symbol of the entire Old Port Area, the Bigo consists of seven arms of different lengths, held in place by steel cables anchored on the seabed.
The tallest arm, over 70 meters long, with a maximum diameter of 2.3 meters and a sheet metal thickness of 10 mm, supports the running cables of the panoramic elevator, which rises to about 40 meters above the ground.
Two other arms of the Bigo support a tent made of a special plastic fabric, which covers an old harbor quay turned into the Piazza delle Feste and has an area of 2,000 square meters.
The Bigo is equipped with safety devices inspired by modern techniques and technologies used in ropeways. Thanks to dedicated hardware and software, more than 100 parameters of system operation and efficiency are controlled in real time. A device called a “parachute” limits the possible and unlikely overspeeding of the cabin during descent.
The elevator’s two guide ropes are fixed in such a way as to ensure constant tension capable of resisting any lateral forces that may intervene during the ride. An anemometer is also installed on the elevator, which measures the intensity of the wind and, in the event of a strong wind, knocks the system out of service after returning people to ground level.
Bigo Panoramic Lift Tickets
Bigo panoramic lift opening hours
March through May and September:
- Monday: 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
- Tuesday through Sunday and holidays: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
October:
- Mondays: 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. (last rise at 5:45 p.m.)
- Tuesday to Sunday and holidays: 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (last rise at 5:45 p.m.)
November through February:
- Monday through Friday: CLOSED
- Saturday, Sunday and holidays: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (last rise at 4:45 p.m.)
- Saturday, December 24 to Sunday, January 8: daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (last rise at 4:45 p.m.)
June, July and August:
- Mondays: 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
- Tuesday through Sunday and holidays: 10:00 a.m. to noon and 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Bigo of Genoa duration
How long will I be on the Bigo panoramic lift?
The tour lasts between 10 and 15 minutes, accompanied by a pleasant soundtrack and a voice guide who will answer all your curiosities about the monuments visible from the top of the Bigo.
In addition, you will find illustrated panels in English, German, Italian and French to further deepen your knowledge.
What is the meaning of the word “Bigo”?
The bigo is the crane used for loading and unloading goods, which was once located on the deck of merchant ships.
Architect Renzo Piano was inspired precisely by the bigo for the name and design of Genoa’s most famous panoramic elevator.
Where is the Bigo located and how to get there?
Genoa’s Bigo elevator is located at Calata Cattaneo in Genoa’s Old Port area, a stone’s throw from the Genoa Aquarium, the Biosphere, and the Sea Museum.
It can be reached by car via the Aldo Moro causeway. There are several parking areas available: Park 1 at Calata Gadda, the Park 2 parking garage, Park 3 at Porta Siberia, Park 4 Cannoniere, and Park Mercanzia.
Public transportation to the Bigo is by bus numbers 35, 1 or 13. Alternatively, you can use the subway and get off at the San Giorgio stop.
Bigo panoramic lift reviews
Is it really worth take a ride on the Bigo in Genoa?
Well, if you are short on time and want to admire the panorama of Genoa, a ride up the Bigo is really a must.
I talked in a dedicated article about how special it is to see Genoa from above, and the Bigo is one of the most central and easily accessible vantage points in the city.
But what do visitors think of it?
I combed through several reviews online. The facility has a rating of 4 out of 5 stars (out of more than 2,900 reviews), and tourists who have visited the Bigo were very happy they did.
The main criticisms are related to the short duration of the tour (which varies from 10 to 15 minutes), the queue at the ticket office (I recommend buying tickets online to skip the line), and the temperature inside the Bigo when it is really hot (not recommended in the middle of summer during days that are too hot).
Bigo Panoramic Lift Tickets
Bigo Porto Antico Genoa: conclusions
We have come to the end of this article in which I told you about what the Bigo lift Genoa is, where it is located, how long a ride on it lasts, and what its hours and prices are.
Want to learn more about it? Leave a comment below or read my article on the Genoa Aquarium.
A hug,
Andrea
Photo credits:
